Down East

Rocky Cove, Schoodic Peninsula, Acadia National Park, Maine  © Doug Hickok


Ancient granite rocks dominate the coastline of Acadia National Park, the result of volcanic activity hundreds of millions of years ago. Here at the secluded Schoodic Peninsula section, these outcrops are "painted" in stripes of colors by the rise and fall of tides. Within the inter-tidal zone marine life flourishes. Shown here are hardy barnacles and rock weed clinging to the edges of the rocks, a reminder of the persistence of life in nature despite the harsh year-round conditions.

Drystone Walling on Inis Oírr Island

A section of the 'feidín wall' built during the workshop.

Last weekend I attended my first dry stone walling workshop on Inis Oírr Island. And I am already looking forward to going back next year. For those of you who don't know where Inis Oírr (Inisheer) is, it is the smallest of the three islands that make up the Aran Islands in Galway Bay.

Walls of Inis Oírr

As a location for a dry stone walling workshop, I could not imagine a better place, as Inis Oírr has some of the finest examples of drystone walls in the country. Altogether the Aran Islands have roughly 1,500 kilometers of drystone walls over an area of just over 11000 acres (just under 18 square miles)

Group photo of 2011 workshop. photo by Paddy Crowe

The workshop is an action of Galway County Heritage plan and is run by the country's most knowledgeable and experienced drystone waller Patrick McAfee. Pat has also written a number of books on Irish stone walling and restoration and is also a dry stone walling instructor in Dublin.

This years workshop also saw guest instructors and speakers Nick Aitken and Gavin Rose. Nick is a member of the Dry Stone Walling Association of Great Britain and is a qualified Master Craftsman instructor and examiner. Gavin Rose is a drystone waller and trail builder working in the stunning Lake District National Park in England.



The dry stone workshop on Inis Oírr has been running since 2006. It is attended by a wide range of people, experienced wallers, stonemasons, archaeologists, geologists, self builders and anyone with an interest in heritage and stone.  This year saw the largest amount of participants to date, and I suspect it will grow by next year. One of the positives I have seen to emerge from the recession we are in is that more and more people are taking an interest in our heritage and looking to learn more about the many traditional skills and crafts that the people depended heavily on back in rural impoverished Ireland, skills that are sadly being lost.

A 'feidín wall' built during the 2009 dry stone walling workshop

One of the most unusual and beautiful walls to be found on the island is a type of wall known as a 'feidín wall' (same type of wall we built during the workshop this year). What is unusual about this type of wall is that unlike most other dry stone walls, a 'feidín wall' has the smaller stones on the bottom with the big stones on top. This type of wall is made up of a double sided wall on the bottom with a large single stone wall on top. The double sided wall at the bottom is made up of a series of large upright stones called mother stones, that run the full depth of the wall. The space between them is built up with smaller stones known as daughter stones. The upper part of the wall is then built using large stones only a single stone wide. The result is a extremely strong wall with a dense base to shelter animals and protect the soil from the strong prevailing winds, while the cracks and holes in the top of the wall let wind filter through. The light that shines through the cracks makes the wall look unstable, deterring animals from jumping on it.

Single stone, lace style wall

 Lots more photos of the 2011 Workshop in the slide show below

 

Slide show of 2011 Inis Oírr Dry Stone Walling Workshop 

  

'Aran gap' or 'Bearna'

Another walling feature I was very taken by is what is known as an 'Aran gap' or 'Bearna'. There are not a lot of roads around the island so much of the access to the fields is through other fields. However you will quickly notice that there do not seem to be any gates in the walls. This is because gaps are left in the wall where a single lace type wall is stacked in the gap, which can then be easily stacked up and taken down as needed for access for animals.

'Aran gap' or 'Bearna'

Inis Oírr as an island is quite a spectacular place. This year was not only my first time at the workshop, but it was also my first time visiting the island, and I must say I really was taken by the place. The island is an Irish speaking community with a population of about 250 people. And from what I can tell all 250 of them are about the warmest, friendliest people you will ever meet. 

Some of the other friendly locals on the island

The limestone pavement exposed in one of the fields after the soil has been taken by the strong winds.

Inis Oírr island is basically an extension of the Burren landscape . The large limestone pavements that make up the land are made up of crisscrossing cracks known as 'grikes', that leave isolated rocks called 'clints'. The limestone dates from the Visean period, formed as sediments in a tropical sea approximately 350 million years ago, and compressed into horizontal strata with fossil corals, crinoids, sea urchins and ammonites. Glaciation following the Namurian phase facilitated greater denudation. The result is that Inis Oírr is one of the finest examples of a Glacio-Karst landscape in the world.

It is an amazing feat of determination and triumph over hardship, how the locals turned this once unusable limestone pavement landscape into an island of lush green fields. They did this by removing the rough stone to fill the cracks or 'grikes' in the limestone pavement, leaving a flat surface. They also used the rough stone to build the walls that would later protect the fields from the wind. They then drew sand and seaweed up from the beach to create the soil, from which they would then be able to grow crops to feed their families, and grass to graze their animals.

St.Gobnait church 'Cill Ghobnait'

  For such a small island there are also many spectacular buildings and historical sites to visit as well (and I don't just mean the great pubs) You could spend days just wandering around the island looking at them. The island also has a famous shipwreck, better known from the opening credits of the TV series Father Ted. 

The Plassy wreck, thrown up on Finnish rock in 1960 during a wild storm. No lives were lost as the islanders saved all on board from harm.

There are many more amazing things to discover on the island, but as this is just a blog post and not a book, I will leave it at that. I would recommend everyone, both in Ireland and abroad to take a trip to Inis Oírr. I would also recommend that anyone with an interest in stone do one of the Dry Stone Walling Workshops out there. There are also other great ways of experiencing life on the island, as Inis Oírr also host some great Irish language courses, where you can learn the language by working and living on the island. They also have an arts center with an 'artist in residence' program where artists can take up residence and work on the island for a period of just a few weeks right up to three months.
   

There are lots more photos of the wonderful stone walls and landscape of Inis Oírr in the slide show below.

 

Slide show of the walls and landscape of Inis Oírr  

If you are interested in going to next years workshop, keep an eye out on my facebook page as I will keep you all updated  from there when the dates for next years event are confirmed.

If you are interested in finding out more about the stone walls of Ireland, I would recomend checking out Patrick McAfee's book 'Irish Stone Walls' This is a great little book full of information, useful for both amateur and expert stoneworkers. 

If you are a stone waller or a stonemason in Ireland I recommend checking out and joining the Dry Stone Wall Association of Ireland http://dswaireland.ning.com/

I would also recommend to anyone involved with stone to check out and become a member of the international Stone Foundation http://www.stonefoundation.org/

For more information on the Aran Islands checkout  http://www.aranisland.info/

Today

I can't believe it's almost October again?!  Where did the year go?  I have no idea.  We seem to be smack bang in the middle of preparing schemes and quotes for clients for pre-Christmas work.  Before we know it we'll be racing against the clock to get everyone's sofas, cushions, curtains etc. installed before the 25th December.  We've also been working hard finalising our Christmas window displays and our Summer/Christmas online vignette which will go live early November.  Gosh I have no idea how we seem to get it all done!  Crazy is one word you could probably use to describe life at Black & Spiro.

I thought it would be fun to post a few photos of things I worked on today.  The pretty vintage yellow lamp is one I found for a client.  We were playing around with a few fabric options today for the shade.  The fantastic zebra print wallpaper is one I am using in a sun room for a client {I have been wanting to use this paper for so long}.  The pretty blue and white cushion is one we are having made for the shop along with lots more. 

I can't forget my last vase of ranunculus for the season which I picked from our garden over the weekend.  Good-bye pretty flowers.  I can't wait for you to flower again next year!!

That's all from me this week.  Short but sweet. 

Hope you have a great weekend!
xx
Anna

Line, Shape and Pattern I

Piazza, Palazzo Ducale, Venice, Italy  © Doug Hickok


Although at first glance this may remind you of Las Vegas, it is actually not. A Gothic piazza along the side of the Palace of the Doge, in Venice, Italy, presents a nice example of line, shape and pattern, complements of the 14th century architect, Filippo Calendario. These 3 elements, along with light, color and texture (see September 22nd's post), are a photographer's best friend. Where ever you see them, there is potentially a wonderful photograph to be made, eh?

Alphabe Thursday.

Please click to enlarge.




Today we have to study the letter X for Ms Matlock's class. Now that is a very difficult letter but I found a word : X-tra. This is an  Xtra special collage of photo's I made in one of my favorite shops here in Spain. It is a ceramics shop, more an Xtra large shop with so many beautiful ceramics. I can spend hours there. Let me tell you some more.
The ceramics town of La Bisbal d'Emporda has been a major centre for the production of ceramics since the 18th century. Is is famed internationally for prodocing a wide variety of ceramics from tradional earthenware and decorative pottery to paving tiles , garden pots and building materials.
As I love  teacups and dinner ware I am in heaven when I am in just this one shop. And let me tell you there are so many of them all selling beautiful ceramics.
These photo's show only a little of what this shop sells. It is loaded. This is just an impression.
And by the way, I didn't buy anything yesterday.
See you next week.

Please click twice on the photo and everything will be very clear to see.
Riet

For more Alphabe posts go here : http://jennymatlock.blogspot.com/

Hello Again

Hello!  I'm back again.  I thought you might like to see some photos of a beautiful family home I've been working on for the past year or two.  As I say to my clients - homes decorated over time always end up being the most beautiful.  This house is one of those houses which we have added layer upon layer and to be honest, I could work for these clients for the rest of my life.  They are always so happy and kind and thrilled with the things I do for them.  It really is an honour to have helped them turn their house into a home which is filled with very special things they love and cherish.

This is their sitting room.

This is their family room and dining area. 

And below is a snapshot of the main bedroom. 

Next stage is redecorating their son's bedroom and the upstairs sitting room and study nook which we will take our time to work through.  Slowly but surely is definitely the way!!

xx

Anna

The Creatures Among Us - Primary Scary

Lights on a Truck, Folly Beach, South Carolina  © Doug Hickok


A unibrow can be so very scary.

Watery and Outdoor Wednesday

All these photo's I made in the bay of Rosas. The water is unbelievably blue. The mountains in the back are the Spanish Pyrenees.
































































































For more water photo's go here :  http://waterywednesday.blogspot.com/







































For more outdoor Wednesday photo's go here : http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/

She and Him

Riverfront Park, Old Navy Base, North Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok


"I thought I saw your face today..."
Wait... we don't have faces! Hey, we don't have necks either!
Call back the portrait painter, we're not finished!

Shem Creek

Shrimp Boats, Shem Creek, Mount Pleasant, SC  © Doug Hickok


Order and chaos.

Mosaic and blue Monday.

Mosaic Monday is hosted by Mary of "http://dearlittleredhouse.blogspot.com/

Yesterday we passed some  horse stables  and a young girl was training this beautiful horse.We stayed a while and of course I had to take some photo's They were all taken when he was galoping around.








































Blue Monday is hosted by Sally of http://smilingsally.blogspot.com/

Also yesterday we visited this fishermans harbour in Roses, Spain. There was a lot of blue to see and fish to eat...

Riet

Profound Symmetry

Ornate Gate and Red Door, Saint Matthew's Lutheran Church, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok


"The universe is built on a plan the profound symmetry of which is somehow present in the inner structure of our intellect."

-Paul Valery, French poet and philosopher.

Blue Mood

Rocky Jetty, Breech's Inlet, Sullivan's Island, SC  © Doug Hickok


This week has been dreary & rainy. The kind of weather that makes you want to stay home... in your pajamas... drinking mocha...

Not going to work, or even out to photograph. I know there are plenty of people in TX and OK who want this rain. I wish I could send it to them!
(I really do Cathy, Greg, Collin, Gretchen & Dan!)

Pink Saturday.

Pink Saturday is hosted by Beverly of “How sweet the sound”
I believe in many  countries it is apple picking time.. Ripe apples everywhere, so also here in Spain. I made lots of photo’s but  I picked a few with pink colored apples to show on Pink Saturday .

For lots more pink go  here: http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/

Scarlett in Charleston?

Porter's Lodge, College of Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok



The scene shown here is a view through Porter's Lodge toward Randolph Hall, on the campus of the College of Charleston, the oldest municipal college in the U.S. (est. 1770). The setting for an early part of the movie The Patriot was filmed at this location. Parts or entire movies have been filmed in Charleston over the years. Here is a short list... Cold Mountain, White Squall, The Prince of Tides, The Notebook, The Lords of Discipline, The Legend of Bagger Vance, The Great Santini, The Dangerous Lives of Alter Boys, Rich in Love, Die Hard with a Vengeance, and Dear John, as well as the TV mini series North and South, Love and War, and yes, you guessed it, no surprise here, Scarlett, the sequel to Gone with the Wind.

Hope this post puts you in the mood to watch a good movie this weekend.

H & M Time

Having our children 7 years apart has worked perfectly for us.  I couldn't have done it any other way.  However, the big gap does provide some variety...

1 1/2 year old Max loves his visits to Black & Spiro on a Saturday morning so much so that we have to put him on the pink step ladder because otherwise the entire shop would be redecorated {Max style}. He really gets excited about being at the shop.

8 year old Harry on the other hand immensley dislikes our Saturday morning visits to the shop.  He says it's boring which it most probably is for him considering I've been taking him in on a Saturday morning since he was little.  Notice how slumped he is in the chair at Black & Spiro.  He really loathes going to the shop.

I love the contrasts the age gap provides and no doubt by the time Max is Harry's age he too will be completely over our Saturday morning shop visits.

Talking about the kids, I really, really need to spend some time with them.  I have been working really hard lately and I need to take a very short break from the blog to have some fun with them. 

I'll be back towards the end of next week...not long!!
xx
Anna

Light, Color, Texture I

Sunrise Reflected in Charleston Harbor, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok


Sometimes focusing on the less obvious is preferable to focusing on the obvious. In this instance, I passed on making a cliche picture of the sun rising over Charleston Harbor. Instead I wanted to extract a more abstract version of the early morning, aiming my lens towards the gentle waves, and the way they reflected the warm glowing light.

The combination of light, color and texture is often a photographer's best friend. No matter what language we speak, this trio of image elements often speaks for itself... you might call it the Lingua Franca of photography.

Alphabe Thursday.

 

For ms Matlocks class we need to study the letter W this week. I chose the Words, Windows, Walls and Water.

The photo’s of the windows are all made in England, the ones of the water are made in Spain.

 

Notice the left bottom photo , there are just windows  and walls left of this very old mansion.

 

For more alphabe letters go here: http://jennymatlock.blogspot.com/

See you next week.